In the past 72 hours, two of California’s longest-serving Republicans in Congress announced they are not seeking re-election this fall, scrambling state politics and dealing a blow to their party’s chances of hanging onto the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Nine-term Rep. Darrell Issa, of San Diego County, became the latest incumbent to announce his retirement Wednesday morning.
Several liberal political groups celebrated Issa and Royce’s departure as a bellwether for Republican incumbents nationwide. “Districts in California like Issa’s – where Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump – will start the wave that will roll across the country,” predicted Eddie Kurtz, executive director of the Courage Campaign.